UIAA General Assembly 2011

On October 8th, the UIAA celebrated the General Assembly in Kathmandu, Nepal kindly hosted by our member federation  the Nepalese Mountaineering Association (NMA).  It was a great honor for the UIAA to have the Assembly opened by the President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav . President...

Italian climbing legend, Walter Bonatti, dies

Walter Bonatti, one of the greatest mountaineers of the 20th century - and UIAA honorary member, passed away on September 13 in Rome. Walter Bonatti was born on 22nd June, 1930 in Bergamo, Italy. His first big ascent was the north face of the Grandes Jorasses...

The “enduring legacy” of Alan Blackshaw

Former UIAA president Alan Blackshaw passed away on August 4 in hospital in Inverness, Scotland. He was born in Liverpool on April 7, 1933. The following tribute to Blackshaw about his contributions to the UIAA is by Dave Morris, a former President of the UIAA Mountain...

UIAA to reaffirm commitment to Kathmandu declaration

Ahead of the 2011 UIAA General Assembly in Kathmandu, Nepal (October 5-8), the UIAA President, Mike Mortimer, spells out the reason for holding the event in the Himalayan nation and the challenges facing the world’s international mountaineering body. Nepal: How important is it to hold this...

First summitter of Kanchenjunga dies

Patron and former President of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), George Band, who made the first ascent of Kanchenjunga and was on the 1953 Everest expedition, died on August 26 at his home. Read the obituary on the BMC website....

Who is eligible for hut reciprocity discounts?

There are almost 1,200 mountain huts offering accommodation for a total of 66,000 people in the entire alpine region – from Slovenia to France, including the Pyrenees. Those eligible to benefit from reciprocity are offered the same overnight rates as members of the hut-owning associations;...

Members see UIAA as modern and reliable

Earlier this year, the UIAA asked Member Federations to help define the future direction of the international mountaineering body over the next five years. The results of the survey are encouraging with more than 75 per cent of UIAA Members taking the time to complete the...

Accidents in climbing halls on rise

The Legal Experts Working Group of the UIAA has published a paper on the growing number of accidents at indoor climbing facilities. The following is the group's observations: Over the last 20 years many climbing halls have been built and indoor climbing is the training venue...

2012 Ice Climbing World Cup schedule announced

he schedule for the 2012 Ice Climbing World Cup events has been announced. On January 14 and 15, the season will kick off for the second year in a row with Lead and Speed competitions in Cheongsong, Korea, hosted by the Korean Alpine Federation. This event will also...

Tribute to the late Stefano Tirinzoni

Stefano Tirinzoni, member of the UIAA Management Committee, passed away on April 29 at the age of 62 after a long illness. He worked as an architect and in urban planning in his home town of Sondrio, Italy, and he had a special interest in the field...